1. (v. t.) To pursue in a manner to injure, grieve, or afflict; to beset with cruelty or malignity; to harass; especially, to afflict, harass, punish, or put to death, for adherence to a particular religious creed or mode of worship.
2. (v. t.) To harass with importunity; to pursue with persistent solicitations; to annoy.
Thesaurus Entries
abuse, afflict, aggravate, aggrieve, annoy, badger, bait, be at, bedevil, befoul, beset, bewitch, blight, bother, bristle, brown off, bug, bully, bullyrag, burn up, chivy, condemn, corrupt, crucify, curse, damage, defile, deprave, despoil, destroy, devil, disadvantage, discompose, disserve, distemper, distress, disturb, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do wrong, do wrong by, dog, doom, dragoon, envenom, exasperate, exercise, fash, fret, get, get into trouble, gripe, harass, harm, harry, haunt, heckle, hector, hex, hound, hunt, hurt, ill-treat, impair, importune, infect, injure, irk, irritate, jinx, maltreat, martyr, menace, miff, mistreat, molest, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, oppress, outrage, peeve, pester, pick on, pique, plague, play havoc with, play hob with, pluck the beard, poison, pollute, pother, prejudice, provoke, punish, pursue, rack, ride, rile, roil, ruffle, savage, scathe, subjugate, suppress, taint, tease, threaten, torment, torture, trouble, try the patience, tweak the nose, tyrannize, vex, victimize, violate, worry, wound, wreak havoc on, wrong
